Time-controlled automatic switch



R. D. SHAFER nus CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC SWITCH May 4, 1926; 1,583,190

Filed'Feb. 20, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nucw coz Nk-y 4", 1926.

R. D. SHAFER "mm CONTROLLED 'AUTOMA'IIIC SWITCH File d' Feb. 20, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v being adjustable so the respective locking elements for designed to be used Patented May 4, 1926.

ROBERT D. SHAFER, 0F PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA.

TIME-CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC SWITCH.

Application filed February 20, 1923. Serial No. 620,244.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. SHAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pleasa-nton, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented a new and useful Time-Controlled Automatic Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic electic time switches." I

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient attachment for application to a clock which will automatically open and close a plurality of switches at any predetermined interval of time, and while on any kind of electric circuit for opening or closing it at any time, it is more particularly designed to switch on and off lights where it is not desired to burn them continuously.

Another object is to provide a simple and efficient cam actuated contact maker and breaker by which the desired circuit connections are made or broken at the. desired time, being retained in open position for any desired length of time controlled by the positions of the cams.

Another object is to provide a time switch of this character equipped with a plurality of sets of cams with cooperating mechanism for opening and closing a plurality of electric circuits, the cams of the respective sets that the switch controlled thereby may be closed when desired and remain closed for a predetermined time according to the position of the cams.

Another object is to provide the cams of sets with cooperating interholding them in adjusted position to insure the closing of the switch'at the proper time.

"With the foregoing and other objects in view which wiil appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the, invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit'of the invention.

In the acompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a clock equipped with an attachment constituting this invention.

Fig. 2 1s a similar view of the attachment detached.

Fig. 3 is asection taken on line 33 of Figure 2. i

Fig. 4 is a plan View of the disk 57 and two of the cams of the upper set, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line of Figure 4t. V

In the embodiment illustrated, the attachment constituting this invention comprises a. plate 1 havingone end 2 therof transversely slotted as shown at 3 for adjustable connection with the clock plate 100, one of the scews l which connects the plate 100 with the supporting post being passed through the slot 3 in plate 1 and in conjunction with another screw 5 which is passed through the other end of platel, secures said plate in operative position on the 01001; plate. The screw 5 is also employed for connecting the clock plate to its support so'that these two screws perform a double function.

This mounting of the plate 1 on the clock plate 100 provides for the meshing of a large index wheel or gear 20 carried bythe plate 1 with the face wheel 101 of the clock which is carried by the hour hand post 102 of the clock (see Fig. 1). The end 6 of plate 1 projects beyond the end of the clock plate 1.00 and is inserted in a slit formed in an insulating block 7 so that the block 7 overlies and underlaps said plate end and is designed to support contact posts 8 and 9 which pass through the plate and insulating block as is shown clearly in Fig. 3. The lower ends of these posts have electric con- 1 ducting wires TV and TV connected thereto.

The posts 8 and 9 are of difierent heights, the post 8 being shown longer than post 9 so that theircontact points will be positioned in different planes for a purpose present ly to be described.

Two blocks 10 and 11 of insulating material are pivotally mounted on the upper face of plate 1', being carried by a pintle 12and adapted to pivot individually on said pintle. These blocks 10 and 11 have extending respectively theretlirough copper or brass rods 13 and 14 which are designed to cooperate with the posts 8 and 9 to close the circuits of the switch. The posts 8 and 9 have laterally extending arms 8 and 9 facing toward the rods 13 and 14:, and these rods have similar arms 13 and 14: positionedto face the arms 8 and 9 to cooperate therewith for closing the circuits when the rods are swung inwardly by means presently to be described.

-when the contacts are closed, the current will pass through the switches.

Levers 15 and 16 arranged one above the other extend respectively through the blocks 10 and 11 and each has a spring end 17 en gaged with a post 18 extending upwardly from plate 1 while the front end of each lever is inclined outwardly and provided at ,its' terminal with an inturned finger (see Fig.2).

These levers are arranged in plane's 1 one above the other and the fingers thereof extend in the path of two sets of cams 80 and 40 respectively, which cams are mounted on the post 25 rising from plate 1 and which carries the index wheel 20, said wheel having a sleeve 21 through which the post 25 extends and on which the cams of the respective sets are mounted. This gear 20 is constructed to make one revolution in twenty-four hours, the teeth of which mesh with those of the face wheel 101 of the clock which makes one revolution in twelve hours. This wheel 20 bears on its upper face two series of numbers 22 arranged concentrically with the periphery thereof, each ranging from 1 to 12 respectively.

An annular series of apertures 23 is arranged inside and concentric with the series of figures 22, one of said apertures being arranged in radial alinement with each figure which are designed to receive a spur or tooth 24 carried by a disk 26.

This disk 26 fits over the sleeve 21 which extends upward from the center of gear 20 so that when the gear is rotated, the disk will be carried with it and the cams of sections 30 and 1O will be carried with the disk by means presently to be described.

The series of cams 40, one of which is fixedly mounted on the spacer 5 1 which is secured to disk 26 andwhich is mounted to move with wheel 20, consists as shown, of eight disk-like plates 27, each of which is exactly alike, the configuration of which is shown in Fig. 4. The cams of eachseries V are centrally apertured for the passage therefthrough of the sleeve 21, and has a radial extension 28, the periphery 29 of which is of a length corresponding to one-twelfth of "the periphery of the index 20, so that the finger of the lever which rests on this cam edge 29 will be held engaged therewith for a period of two hours during .the rotation of the index wheel. The extension 28 has an abrupt shoulder 50 at one side thereof tending lip 53 for a purpose presently to be described.

A gradual incline 27 connects the periphery of disk 27 with the extension 29 at the other side thereof. It will thus be seen that when the finger 19 of the lever 16 rides up on the cam extension 28 over the inclined portion 27 a thereof on to the periphery 29 of said extension, the lever 16 will be swung outward, thereby rocking the insulating block 11 on its pintle 12 causing the contact arm 14f to move inwardly into engagement with the contact 9, thereby closing the switch and holding it closed while the lever finger 19 remains engaged with the cam portion 29. When the cam 27 runs sufficiently to cause the upright shoulder 50 to pass un der the lever finger 19, said finger will drop into recess 51.

The spring end 17 of the lever will swing the block 11 and move arm 1 1 away from the post 9 and open the switch.

In the embodiment illustrated, eight of these disks 27 are used in the series 40 which are formed exactly alike, one being fixedly mounted on the upper face of disk 26, being spaced from said disk by a spacer 54c, and another disk is carried by the lower face of the disk 55 and spaced therefrom by a spacer 56.

Mounted on the sleeve 21 between the two fixed cams carried respectively by the disks 26 and 55 are six other cams 27 exactly like those which are fixed to said disks and which are strung on the sleeve 21, being rotatable thereon when turned in one direction and held engaged with each other by the interlocking of the lips 53 with the wall of the recess 51 which constitutes the inward extension of the abrupt shoulder 50. When these cams 27 are mounted on the sleeve 21, and placed so that the peripheries 29 of the extensions 28 will be arranged consecutively to form a continuous track on which rides the finger 19 of the lever 16, said track will constitute a continuous line for holding said lever in position to swing the block 11 to close the contacts 14: and 9 whereby the switch is held closed during the passage of the finger 19 over said track which will cover a period of sixteen hours, the portion 29 of each cam 27 remaining engaged with the finger 19 for a period of two hours.

To vary the length of the cam track over which the finger 19 is designed to ride, these individual cams 27 may be so placed relatively to each other as to shorten the track by turning them in a counter-clockwise direction so that the length of the track may be varied to hold thelever 16 in closed position for two to sixteen hours.

The cam series 30 which is mounted on the sleeve 1, above series 40 comprises three cam sections 27 which are exactly alike in construction and which correspond in shape and size to the cam sections 27 of the series 40. One of the three cam sections 27 is fixedly mounted on the upper face of a disk 57 being held spaced therefrom by a spacing disk 58. Another one of these cam sections 27 is fixedly mounted on the lower face of a disk 59 and spaced therefrom by a spacing disk while the remaining cam section is free to rotate on the sleeve 21. The lips 53 on these cam sections 27 extend upwardly and are designed to interlockingly engage the walls 50 of the recesses 51 in the same manner that the cam sections 27 are engaged so that when the cams 27 are superposed and locked by such lips, the peripheral portions 29 thereof will be arranged to form a track for engagement by the finger 19 of lever 16, the so formed track being of a length sufiicient to hold said lever in its outswung position, thereby rocking the block 10 and closing the contacts 13 and 8 Each of these portions 29 is of a length to hold the lever engaged thereby for a period of two hours so that when combined, the lever will be held in outswung position, closing the contacts 13 and 8 for a period of six hours.

If desired, this time may be varied for from two to four hours by swinging the disk 59 on the sleeve 21 in a counter-clockwise direction sufficient to bring the cam portion 29 of the cam section carried thereby into register with the corresponding portion 29 of the loose cam so that the switch will remain closed for four hours. To close the switch for two hours only, the notches 28 of the three cam sections are brought into register with each other and the lever finger 19 will pass over the registering cam portions 29 and be held in outswung position for two hours, thereby holding contacts 13 and 8 closed for this period.

The disks 55, 57 and 59 respectively, are each provided with a radially extendng finger 55, 57 and 59 respectively. These fingers are here shown triangular in form and are designed to form finger grips for turning the disks.

Various changes in the form, shape, proportion and other minor detals of construction may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the claimed invention.

I claim 1. In a time controlled automatic switch, clock mechanism including a gear; of a plate mounted on said mechanism, a gear rotatably mounted on said plate and meshing with said gear of the clock mechanism to be driven thereby, a plurality of series of superposed cams mounted to turn with said driving gear, a pair of contact makers and breakers arranged to respectively engage the cams of the respective series, the cams of the series being adjusted whereby the switch controlled thereby may be closed when desired and remain closed a predetermined time according to the position of the cams, the cams of the respective series being operable independently, and means for adjusting the cams of the respective series, said means comprlsing disks having peripheral projections to operate as finger grips.

2. In a time controlled automatic switch,

clock mechanism including a gear; of a plate mounted on said mechanism, a gear rotatably mounted on said plate meshing with said gear of the clock mechanism to be driven thereby, a plurality of series of superposed cams mounted to turn with said driving gear, contact make and break levers fulcrumed 011 said plate and having fingers at their front ends to engage said cams and springs at their rear ends to normally hold them engaged with the cams, an insulating block in which said levers are mounted said block being swingably mounted on said plate, contacts carried by said block and movable therewith and connected with a suitable source of electricity, and cooperating contacts carried by said plate and insulated therefrom positioned to be engaged by said first mentioned contacts on the swinging of said block in one direction whereby the switch is closed and which is accomplished by the contact make and break levers under the control of the cams.

In testimony that I claim the foregoingas my own, I have hereto affixed by signature.

ROBERT D. SHAFER. 

